Stopping the rot: Eurozone contagion May 24, 2011 GLOBAL REACH PTNRS MARK THOMPSON The resurgence of Eurozone sovereign debt fears has driven the euro to two month lows against the dollar in the last two trading sessions and looks likely to keep the common currency under pressure in the days to come. Investors are right to be anxious about the implications of further [...]
FOREX ANALYST PICKS May 24, 2011 FOREX STRATEGIST JOHN KICKLIGHTER My pick: Short euro-dollar; Short Australian dollar-dollar Expertise: Fundamental and Technical Analysis with Risk Management Average time frame of trades: 1 day to 1 week The long dollar-Swissie position above SFr0.88 has been slow to gain ground; but clear bearish breaks for euro-dollar below $1.4000 (with a 175 point stop and [...]
Mapping out the direction of this year’s Mifid review May 24, 2011 IT’S simple really. The outcome of Mifid II will include: more stringent regulation of best execution obligations, a move towards the introduction of a consolidated tape, an increased push for transparency, a higher number of trades at a higher speed, lower fees, tighter spreads, the introduction of a single passport to give improved access to [...]
DATA ANALYSIS KEY TO THE STRUCTURED FINANCE RECOVERY May 24, 2011 ABSXCHANGE EMEA COMMERCIAL MANAGER STANDARD & POOR’S VALUATION & RISK STRATEGIES IN the past decade, the European structured finance market has undergone radical change. The global economic downturn was the most severe stress test for securitisations in decades. Indeed, the fallout from the collapse of US residential mortgage backed securities (RMBS) and collateralised debt obligations [...]
The original Mifid directive May 24, 2011 THE original Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (Mifid) was drafted in 2004 and implemented 4 years ago. The directive is up for review. So what were the shortcomings of the original European Commission directive? One of the core tenets of the original review was to shore up protection for clients that were classed as sophisticated, [...]
The new Sharan: big AND clever May 24, 2011 BACK in the early 90s it felt like MPVs were everywhere. Created to solve the challenge of how to move big families about, they were sold as useful and trendy until the public caught on to the fact that the reality was rather different. Though big, these lumbering beasts often proved impractical, with minimal luggage [...]
CAR TALK May 24, 2011 ASTON MARTIN TEAMS WITH ZAGATO To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the iconic DB4GT Zagato, Aston Martin has created an elegant, new V12 Zagato concept with the Italian design house Zagato. The car has a handcrafted aluminium body and features the iconic Zagato double bubble roof. The car premiered at the Villa D’Este Concours, Lake [...]
Retail sales growth slows May 24, 2011 Retail sales grew more slowly in May, although they beat expectations, and firms are cautious about the outlook for growth next month, a survey by the Confederation of British Industry showed. The figures came as Bank of England policymaker Paul Fisher said he was “nervous” about the strength of household demand against a backdrop of [...]
Miners buoy FTSE but ratings threat casts shadow May 24, 2011 Mining stocks put the FTSE 100 on the front foot in early trading as metal prices rose – boosted by Goldman Sachs recommending investors to buy into commodities. Commodities trader Glencore made its full market debt and rose slightly from its price on the so-call grey market, but remained below the 530p offer price of [...]
Public borrowing in new blow May 24, 2011 Britain recorded its worst April public sector net borrowing on record last month as a fall in tax receipts got the new fiscal year off to a disappointing start, official data showed. The public sector posted a net cash requirement of £3.259bn last month after a repayment of 5.834 billion pounds in April 2010. The [...]
